Australian Film Stereotypes
Australian representations through film
The very first Australian cinematic piece was produced in 1906 and told the story of the Australian Kelly Gang otherwise known as the story of Ned Kelly a well-known Australian icon. Despite the era of production, what we now view as stereotypical characteristics of Australians were unknowingly established through these characters. In these early days of Australia, these stereotypes were quite often a reality; with big tough bush men not simply being portrayed on the screen as over exaggerations but as accurate representations of Australian men. However in today’s multicultural and well developed Australia that stereotype has since become outdated, although the Australian cinema continues to use the same cliché.
In 1986 Crocodile Dundee hit the big screen, becoming a huge success not only in Australia but even in the United States, so much so that an Americanised version of the film was released removing some of the classic Australian slang for those who were unfamiliar with it. The film raked in a massive $47,707,045 in the box office which surpasses the takings of the modern film Australia directed by Baz Lurhmann by close to $1,000,000 (abc.net.au). Paul Hogan plays the typical Australian male character; rough and tough, yet oddly charming as he became a heartthrob to the American audience. His character Mick Dundee is the conventional Australian man, in other reviews he has been described as “a big hearted croc poacher with big bushman humour and a big knife” (courier …show more content…
Although yes it can be agreed that some stereotypes of the social and cultural aspects may be exaggerated in Australian film to perhaps create character or uniqueness it is slight over exaggerations like these which give Australian cinema its defining characteristics and quirkiness which is loved
The very first Australian cinematic piece was produced in 1906 and told the story of the Australian Kelly Gang otherwise known as the story of Ned Kelly a well-known Australian icon. Despite the era of production, what we now view as stereotypical characteristics of Australians were unknowingly established through these characters. In these early days of Australia, these stereotypes were quite often a reality; with big tough bush men not simply being portrayed on the screen as over exaggerations but as accurate representations of Australian men. However in today’s multicultural and well developed Australia that stereotype has since become outdated, although the Australian cinema continues to use the same cliché.
In 1986 Crocodile Dundee hit the big screen, becoming a huge success not only in Australia but even in the United States, so much so that an Americanised version of the film was released removing some of the classic Australian slang for those who were unfamiliar with it. The film raked in a massive $47,707,045 in the box office which surpasses the takings of the modern film Australia directed by Baz Lurhmann by close to $1,000,000 (abc.net.au). Paul Hogan plays the typical Australian male character; rough and tough, yet oddly charming as he became a heartthrob to the American audience. His character Mick Dundee is the conventional Australian man, in other reviews he has been described as “a big hearted croc poacher with big bushman humour and a big knife” (courier …show more content…
Although yes it can be agreed that some stereotypes of the social and cultural aspects may be exaggerated in Australian film to perhaps create character or uniqueness it is slight over exaggerations like these which give Australian cinema its defining characteristics and quirkiness which is loved